Saturday Meditation: Living water

Saturday in the Fourth Week of Lent

By a St. Michael’s parishioner

1 April

Mercifully hear our prayers, O Lord, and spare all those who confess their sins to you; that those whose consciences are accused by sin may by your merciful pardon be absolved; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

PSALM 7:6-11 ▪ JEREMIAH 11:18-20 ▪ JOHN 7:37-52

On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38)

What struck me about this reading was the fact that rivers of living water were to flow from the believer’s heart. Similarly, Jesus told the Samaritan women that for all believers who drink of the living water which he will give,“the water . . . will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” (John 4:14)

Now Jesus is asking us to offer living water to others. Water is essential to life. As I write this, people from around the country have offered their support to Native Americans at Standing Rock as they fight for water rights. The people of Flint, Michigan have yet to receive clean living water. Palestinians in the West Bank have limited access to water, and more than 90% of the water supply in Gaza is contaminated.

How can we offer living water to those people in need around the world? Is there a concrete way to share the living water that is in our hearts to others? Sharing information about the needs of the world’s thirsty people with our community is one way we offer rivers of living water. Finding a way to do something concrete about their need for water is even more important.

Just as Jesus brought living water to the Samaritan woman, as believers we are compelled to offer living water to those to whom it has been denied.